Maps are a critical part of any research. When it comes to determining family history, ancestral lines and immigration/migration patterns, a US map can make a big difference. As boundaries have changed throughout history, it can be difficult to find death certificates or burial sites. Using historical US maps is a great way to accurately learn about your family’s past. They are an invaluable tool for both historians and genealogical researchers.

Changing with the Times

At critical times in US history, State boundaries have undergone significant changes. Since the founding of America, major events such as the Civil War have contributed to shifting boundary lines. This is important to know when tracing the migration of a particular family – especially during times of slavery. Historical US maps will display original boundaries which when combined with family journals or diaries, can help you pinpoint a person’s true location at the time. As boundaries shift, things like centuries, that were once considered part of one township, may now in fact be belong to another township or county.

The Benefit of the Internet

Depending on exactly what you are trying to research, a combination of both modern and historical US maps could be incredibly useful. In the era of online tools and the internet, it’s also particularly convenient to discover that many of these maps are available online. Now that you know longer have to sift through libraries, archives and dozens of ancient maps, the process is that much easier. Online US maps make it easy to view multiple maps and compare them without having to leave the house.

They Have a Variety of Uses

US maps are also a great resource for school papers and assignments. Credible historical sources make any argument stronger and can help students understand their assignment better – not to mention honing their thesis. You can find US maps for individual States and even towns, and the online format often makes it possible to search via the year. This can make a significant difference because information can change in the blink of an eye. Compare your map with census info, birth, marriage and death records, and you are on your way to building a complete picture.

Why We are Different

Never underestimate the value of good maps. Here at MapsofUS.org, we make it easy to discover US maps, tons of records and other important data. We have cataloged everything from military maps to maps of the British Empire. You will find everything you need to complete or begin your research, with us.

Whether you are an experienced genealogist, a student or just curious, https://www.mapofus.org/ will be a useful tool. Browse our large catalogue of online US maps and historical data to help you better understand your family, and the changing political landscapes of the United States. With us you can discover your family history, where they migrated to over the centuries, and where it all began – it’s only a few clicks away. Our animated US maps will make all the difference and will become an important part of your research, especially if you no longer reside in the area where your family originated. Take advantage of these great maps today.

Washington State borders Idaho, Oregon and Canada. It became a territory in 1853 and was not considered a State until 1889. Many areas of the United States, before they were united, were heavily disputed by the British Empire. These ongoing disputes made from some interesting historical boundaries over the years. Maps of Washington State demonstrate just how many times the boundaries changed – and the names of them. Washington wasn’t always Washington, that’s for certain.

The Changing Faces of Washington State

At one time, Washington State was entirely enveloped by Oregon, with the whole region being Oregon Country. Maps of Washington State at that time are quite interesting – and starkly different from the Washington we know today. Today there are 39 separate counties in Washington, with the capital being Olympia. Other well-known cities include Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane Valley. With a population upwards of six million, it’s hard to believe how much the political map of the area has been manipulated over the years. But all those maps, with all their variations can be incredibly useful. If you are a researcher, historical maps of Washington State can provide you with a lot of information.

Many Uses

Whether you want to discover who owned what land, or if a particular section of land is still actually part of Washington State, a historical map can help. They are also perfect for locating extinct townships that may have amalgamated into new counties. The many maps of Washington State will help you track families, politics, battlefields and general migration patterns. They are an integral part of both genealogical and political historical research.

Why Choose Us?

At MapsofUS.org you will find a huge assortment of maps for every state in the country – from a variety of critical historical times. Our animated maps allow you to witness how the land and boundaries changed over the years to help you better understand a particular geographical area. Maps of Washington State are a great research tool – whether you are researching a family or not. There is a lot to be learned.

Added Bonus

We don’t simply offer access to maps. Being as passionate as we are about history, we know that accurate maps of Washington State and the rest of the country, are only half the battle. You need a lot of contributing data on top of that to paint a whole picture. Keeping this is mind, we also provide easy access to census data, which includes obituaries, marriage, birth and death records. By combining all these elements we’ve made MapofUS.org a one-stop shop for your political and historical research. From our site you can access all the significant data you need and compare things die-by-side without having to hunt all over the internet yourself. We’ve done that for you!

Check out our website today to discover the mysteries contained within historical maps of Washington State and the rest of the country. You won’t be disappointed and you may even be shocked by what you learn. Happy hunting and researching!

No matter what part of the United States you reside from, everyone is interested in their roots and family tree. If you are thinking about taking on a project of this magnitude, the first task at hand is reviewing a US Map. Why a map? Maps are an essential part of genealogical research for many reasons. A US Map can immediately provide valuable information and facts that can help launch your ancestry project and provide key information points to pursue.

Maps can show you where and when boundaries changed. Some maps offer a bird’s eye view of the city, your family once lived in. They can help you recreate your ancestor’s community and their migration route, leading you to additional resources. Whether the US Map you use is paper or virtual, a map will assist you as you determine the records that may have existed and the places your family lived.

As you begin a research project make sure that you start by finding some historical and modern day maps of the cities, regions, and states your family once lived in to help guide your research. A good historical US Map can be a great first step. Historical maps will show the area for the time period you are researching in. Note, “historical” refers to the time period, not necessarily the age of the maps. They can be of many different types of maps, which reveal different information such as:

A map might show the landowners in a town or who occupied which farms.

A seafront village may have had a very different shape 200 years ago depending on whether the sea is depositing land or taking away.

In areas where large amounts of land were distributed at once, such as New York or Spanish land grants in California, a historical US Map to these early grants gives an entirely different perspective.

A map of early cemeteries can be invaluable in helping you locate family graves.

While the US Map has significantly over the last 200 years, comparing older maps to newer maps of the same area can often provide excellent information about changes in names of different towns and places over time. Such comparisons can also show changes in borders between countries, counties, towns, and other political borders.

With the US Map now going digital, the ability to discover your family history has now become considerably easier. Instead of traveling across the country, tracking down old, frail copies of maps in libraries, this information is available at your fingertips and online. And with that, new avenues of research and historical preservation are opened up. Maps and atlases that were degrading over time are preserved electronically. From Arkansas to Utah, from Colorado to Washington, maps from all over the continental United States are accessible for all who wish to view them. You can find them to at Maps of US. From 1643 to the present, there is a US Map preserved in all its glory. For more information, visit us online today.

Genealogy is a pastime and hobby that is growing in popularity thanks for television shows and specials like The Learning Channel’s Who Do You Think You Are? More and more people are becoming interested in their own family history, but before a person goes back to trace their origins in South America, Europe, The Caribbean, Africa Asia or Oceania it is important to learn about the history in the state where he or she lives. Washington State has a rich history dating back thousands of years to when Native Americans like the Chinook, Yakima, Spokane, Snohomish, and Quinault tribes resided. If you looked at a political map of Washington State from the 1800’s, and even from a hundred years ago things would look very different than they do today.

There is a lot of history in Washington State and a Map of Washington State can be the first step to help learn about the state’s history.

While Lewis and Clarke went west to present day Oregon to was Spaniard Juan Perez in 1774 who became the first European on record to land in what is present day Washington State. A year later another Spanish captain Don Bruno de Heceta would land in Washington, and a few years after that British Explorer Captain James Cook and William Charles Buckley would also come to Washington. Back in those days looking at a map of Washington State would be quite confusing as territory disputes between the British, Spanish, US colonies as well as with Canada and even Russia meant that borders, boundaries, and knowing who owned what land was constantly changing.

In 1827 the US and Great Britain signed the Oregon Treaty that adopted the 49th parallel the boundary between the United States and the British colonies, which is present day Canada. Previously from 1818 to 1827 the US and the British shared joint control of the Oregon Territory that included Washington State, Oregon, Idaho as well as parts of Montana and Wyoming. The Territory of Oregon was a United States territory from August 14, 1848 up to February 14, 1859. During that time the capital city moved from Oregon City to Salem to Corvallis finally returning back to Salem. Clearly a map of Washington State, or where present-day Washington State is would have looked very different back in the days of The Oregon Territory. In 1853 present day Washington State along with parts of Idaho and Montana succeeded from the Oregon Territory to form The Washington Territory.

When people try to trace back their history and their family’s history in Washington State things can get very complicated, especially if the history predates 1889 when, with the passing of The Enabling Act, Washington State become the 42nd state in the United States. Even for those who are not tracing their family’s history learning about the history, and political boundaries of his or her home state can be very fascinating. Seeing a map of Washington State in 1867 can help illustrate just how much the state and the country has changed in only a few hundred years.

When uncovering family history, it used to take years to discover old maps and to go through county records to find old homesteads and land claims. Maps of the US have changed greatly over the last 200 years, and with each new US map, roads change and county lines shift, making it difficult to track down information and confirm old family tales.

Now many of the maps have gone digital, making it easier to sift through the changes of the centuries to find what you are looking for. For example, the earliest US map we have dates from 1643, over a hundred years before the revolution, the year that Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Harbor formed the United Colonies of New England. This map the original county lines and hitting the play button allows the viewer to watch as history unfolds in front of them.

From all over the continental US, our maps can help you find the foothold you need in discovering where you come from. The historical atlas maps allow you to look at history through the lens of those who lived it. Starting in 1776, all of our atlases are scanned copies of the originals, with the original spelling of town names and counties allowing historians and genealogists to find the answers that they are seeking. For example, for 1776 the US map of Massachusetts shows the original names of many of the islands in the area, before they were shortened or modernized.

All of our maps are free for personal use only, and may not be reproduced for resale or distribution. Along with property records, census data, and birth, marriage, and death certificates, a historical US map provides valuable information and can help genealogists uncover their family histories and connect with the past. While the historical maps on this site can help researchers, there are many other types of maps that are used for this type of research including: political maps, surveys, plat maps, land maps, ward maps, and more. Each one offers different information about the time period in which it was created.

A political US map, for example, would show the townships and county lines that existed at that time. These can help researchers to determine which county their search can begin in. Land maps show who owned which properties in the area at that time, allowing researchers to narrow down the scope of their search. Ward maps show the different wards of large cities, and researchers can discover old buildings and addresses lost over the years.

With many US maps going digital, the ability of the family historian or genealogist to discover long-lost family history or new branches of the family tree has become considerably easier. Instead of traveling across the country, tracking down old, frail copies of maps and records, this information is available at the click of a button. And with that, new avenues of research and historical preservation are opened up. Maps and atlases that were degrading over time are preserved electronically. From Arkansas to Utah, to Colorado to Washington, maps from all over the continental United States are accessible for all who wish to view them, here at MapofUS.org. From 1643 to the present, there is a US map preserved in all its glory.

Many people may consider summer to be the best season for a road trip, but if a person can take a few days off, autumn is the perfect time for a short road trip in Washington State. The leaves on the trees are changing to beautiful red, orange and yellow hues. The weather is usually perfect for a drive in the car. Since summer is over, one will not need to blast the air conditioner greatly saving in fuel consumption costs. Additionally September and October are often snow free in many parts of Washington State, except at mountain regions, so many outdoor activities can be enjoyed before it gets winter cold. At this time of year tourist season is in its shoulder season, meaning better discounts at hotels and attractions compared to the busier tourist season in the summer. With some supplies including a good map of Washington State an autumn road trip can be an enjoyable way to spend a short vacation.

The most important part about a road trip is making sure the vehicle is in good road trip condition. If a person is planning to take a vehicle he or she owns that vehicle should be looked over by mechanic to make sure that it is road ready. Alternatively one can rent a vehicle, which will likely be inspected before being rented, but will add an additional cost to the road trip. Make sure to check that anyone who is driving will be covered under the vehicle’s insurance policy. Having an emergency vehicle kit, including a spare tire and jack, can come in handy on the road. Many people might want to invest in an automobile club membership in case a vehicle emergency like flat tire or a mechanical failure occurs. While many people will want to rely on their smartphones or a GPS for navigation having a hard copy map of Washington State is important since cellphones and GPS units can lose reception and battery power.

Next comes the planning. A person can take out their map of Washington State and start thinking of ideas and routes on where to go. Do you want to explore the pacific along the Peninsula and Coastal region? Do you want to spend time exploring cities like Spokane and Seattle? Maybe you would like to visit Washington’s wine region or scenic outdoor parks? There is a lot to do in Washington, and sticking to one region for a short road will mean more time to see and explore in the state. Using websites like Gas Buddy and Travel Math can help give estimates of the fuel cost for a road trip. If you are traveling with other people make sure to include everyone in on the planning so everyone will be able to choose an activity or attraction he or she wants to do. Also be sure to take into account everyone’s budget for the trip to make sure everyone will be able to afford his or her portion of the road trip. Above all make sure to have fun and enjoy the autumn road trip in Washington State.